On the Volcanic Character of the Island of Hawaii. 197 



to reach the summit of the mountain was unsuccessful, the 

 excursion gave them the fullest evidence of the volcanic origin 

 of this region. On the 16th of July, Messrs. Goodrich and 

 Harwood, from the extremities of a base line of 2,230 feet, 

 made two observations, by which they made the height of the 

 mountain 7,S82 feet; but as their quadrant was not a good 

 one, it was concluded that the real height exceeded this. The 

 mountain is, however, never covered with snow. 



On the 18th of July they proceeded forth on their journey; 

 and about the middle of the day, near Kahalu, they "travelled 

 about a mile across a rugged bed of lava, which had evidently 

 been ejected from a volcano, more recently than the vast tracts 

 of the same substance by which it was surrounded. It also 

 appeared to have been torn to pieces, and tossed up in the 

 most confused manner, by some violent convulsion of the earth, 

 at the time it was in a semi-fluid state. There was a kind of 

 path formed across the most level part of it, by large, smooth, 

 round stones, brought from the sea-shore, and placed three or 

 four feet apart. By stepping from one to another of these 

 we passed (as they remark ) over the roughest pieces of lava 

 we had yet seen." 



On the 19th their way lay over a rough tract of lava, re- 

 sembling that which they passed the day before. — They go 

 on to relate : 



" In many places, it seemed as if the surface of the lava had 

 become hard, while a few inches underneath it had remained 

 semi-fluid, and in that state had been broken up, and left in 

 its present confused and rugged form. The rugged appearance 

 of the lava was probably produced in part, by the expansive 

 force of the heated air beneath the crust of lava; but this 

 could not have caused the deep chasms and fissures which we 

 saw in several places : we also observed many large spherical 

 volcanic stones, the surface of which had been fused, and in 

 some places had peeled off, like a crust or shell, an inch or two 

 in thickness. The centre of some of these stones, which we 

 broke, was of a dark blue colour and clayey texture, and did 

 not appear to have been at all affected by the fire." 



On the 21st of July, the travellers arrived at the spot where, 

 in the year 1780, Tamahameha gained a decisive victory over 

 his cousin and rival Kauikeouli, and thus laid the foundation 

 of his power. The battle lasted eight days, and " the scene 

 of this sanguinary engagement was a large tract of rugged lava, 

 the whole superficies of which had been broken up by an 

 earthquake." 



On the 24th, near Keakoa, a singular appearance of the 

 lava attracted the attention of the party. " It consisted of a 



covered 



